Establishments for the Poor. 375 



place a married couple, rather advanced in life and 

 without children, at the head of the institution ; but, 

 whoever are employed in that situation, care should 

 be taken that they should be persons of irreproachable 

 character, and such as the poor can have no reason to 

 suspect of partiality. 



As nothing would tend more effectually to ruin an 

 establishment of this kind, and prevent the good in- 

 tended to be produced by it, than the personal dislikes 

 of the poor to those put over them, and more especially 

 such dislikes as are founded on their suspicions of their 

 partiality, the greatest caution in the choice of these per- 

 sons will always be necessary ; and in general it will 

 be best not to take them from among the poor, or at 

 least not from among those of the neighbourhood, nor 

 such as have relations, acquaintances, or other connec- 

 tions among them. 



Another point to be attended to in the choice of a 

 person to be placed at the head of such an establish- 

 ment (and it is a point of more importance than can 

 well be imagined by those who have not considered the 

 matter with some attention) is the. looks or external ap- 

 pearance of the person destined for this employment. 



All those who have studied human nature, or have 

 taken notice of what passes in themselves when they 

 approach for the first time a person who has any thing 

 very strongly marked in his countenance, will feel how 

 very important it is that a person placed at the head of 

 an asylum for the reception of the poor and the unfortu- 

 nate should have an open, pleasing countenance, such as 

 inspires confidence and conciliates affection and esteem. 



Those who are in distress are apt to be fearful and 

 apprehensive, and nothing would be so likely to intim- 



